Republic of Mining

Bill Gates-funded startup to develop robot geologists – by Loukia Papadopoulos (Interesting Engineering – July 9, 2023)

July 10, 2023

Calgary-based mining tech startup GeologicAI has secured $20 million in Series A funding from Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) to build AI-powered robot geologists. This is according to a report by BetaKit published Tuesday.

“GeologicAI has spent the last few years proving out its technology across a variety of mineral types and geologic environments, with both junior and major mining companies, and throughout the exploration, development, and operating segments of the mining ecosystem,” GeologicAI chief strategy Yannai Segal told BetaKit.

Let’s Not Forget the Extraordinary, World-Class Chromite Deposits in Ontario’s Ring of Fire – by Frank Smeenk (Originally Posted on June 18, 2020)

July 11, 2023July 10, 2023

With practically all of the attention in the Ring of Fire focused on nickel and copper, I thought it might be important to repost Mr. Smeenk’s excellent column on the globally significant chromite resources in this extraordinary mining camp. Roughly half of chromite production is mined in South Africa which is becoming more politically unstable with electricity shortages and rail transportation problems becoming more frequent. The importance of reshoring manufacturing to North America as well as developing more critical mineral mining makes Mr. Smeenk’s column very timely. – Stan Sudol

Frank Smeenk is the President and Chief Executive Officer of KWG Resources Inc.

HOW MUCH BALONEY IS IN THE RING OF FIRE SANDWICH?

Stainless steel is approximately 18% chrome and 8% nickel with iron constituting most of the remaining 74%. A decade ago, the private Chinese enterprise Tsingshan Group, started to establish facilities in Indonesia to produce large quantities of nickel pig iron to make stainless steel there by adding ferrochrome melt made with coal-generated electricity.

Column: China flexes critical metals muscles with export curbs – by Andy Home (Reuters – July 10, 2023)

July 10, 2023

https://www.reuters.com/

China’s threat to curb exports of gallium and germanium from the start of August marks an escalation in the global competition for critical minerals and metals. Both are esoteric metals with multiple applications across a spectrum of cutting-edge technologies, particularly silicon chips for the semiconductor sector.

As such, China’s move seems a calibrated response to the US Chips Act and the increasing pressure on US allies to restrict sales of sensitive microchip technology to the country. The announcement a day before the US Independence Day holidays was a symbolically-charged reminder that the West is highly dependent on China for many raw material inputs to its high-tech industrial base.

Canada mimics U.S. strategy by offering nearly $30 billion for Stellantis, Volkswagen battery plants – by Naimul Karim (Financial Post – July 7, 2023)

July 10, 2023

https://financialpost.com/

Canada, Ontario providing Stellantis up to $15 billion

Seven weeks after the fate of Canada’s first electric-vehicle battery plant was thrown into jeopardy, a new government agreement with the plant’s main investors ensures the project is back on track to start production in 2024.

The Windsor, Ont., lithium-ion battery plant, a joint venture of Stellantis NV and LG Energy Solution Ltd. was first announced in March, but construction was halted in May after Stellantis said the federal government had not met its financial commitments.

Ontario looks to go ahead with three more small modular nuclear reactors – by Jeff Gray (Globe and Mail – July 7, 2023)

July 10, 2023

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Ontario is charging ahead with its bet on small modular nuclear reactors, announcing that its electricity utility will seek approvals for three more of the units on the grounds of its Darlington power plant, where it has already applied to build one of the new and largely untested systems.

Energy Minister Todd Smith unveiled the province’s plan for the SMRs on Friday at the site next to the existing Darlington nuclear facility in Clarington, about 80 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. Preparatory work is already under way, with newly paved roads leading to a large expanse of sun-baked dirt that has been cleared and flattened by a fleet of bulldozers.

When coal was king in the Welsh valleys of the Rhondda – by Dana Huntley (British Heritage Travel – June 15, 2023)

July 10, 2023

https://britishheritage.com/

The scars left behind by the collieries of Wales’ Rhondda Valley are beginning to heal, but some things never change.

Scarcely an hour’s drive west of the pristine villages, prosperous cottage gardens, and sylvan landscapes of the Cotswolds lies the southern Welsh county of mid-Glamorgan. Throngs of touring coaches, camera-wielding photojournalists, and well-heeled tourists don’t come here. These are the valleys of the Rhondda.

In the Valleys

Fanning out above the Welsh capital of Cardiff, these valleys are the coalfields of South Wales, narrow glens snaking their way south to north, from the Bristol Channel coast toward the Brecon Beacons. Every few miles up and down the hills lie the skeletal remains of a pit head, rusting silently, majestic.

Former Sudbury mining leader is back on board with Vale – by Len Gillis (Sudbury.com – July 7, 2023)

July 10, 2023

https://www.sudbury.com/

The appointment of Mark Cutifani as chair of the newly formed Energy Transition Metals Board with Vale Base Metals takes effect this month

A well-known former Sudbury mining executive is back in the news and is taking on a new role as chair of the newly formed Energy Transition Metals Board with Vale Base Metals, which calls itself one of the world’s largest producers of responsibly-sourced nickel, copper, cobalt and platinum group metals.

Mark Cutifani was previously chief operating officer (COO) at CVRD Inco, but he left Sudbury in 2007 to become chief executive officer (CEO) of AngloGold Ashanti, and then became CEO of mining giant Anglo American, one of the largest mining companies on the planet.

The Drift: Smaller is greener and cheaper for Sturgeon Falls-area palladium mine developer – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – July 5, 2023)

July 6, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

New Age Metals rolls out revised economic assessment for its River Valley PGM project

The company that once hawked its River Valley project, east of Sudbury, as the “largest undeveloped primary PGM resource in North America” has come back with a revised mine plan.

Inflation and a number of other uncertainties forced New Age Metals to go back to the drawing board last spring to sketch out new plans for a potential platinum group metals mine in the West Nipissing-Sturgeon Falls area.

UK Needs to Revive Rich Mining History to Counter China – by Alan Crawford (Bloomberg News – July 5, 2023)

July 6, 2023

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — When work began at the South Crofty tin mine in Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne, the first English settlement in America had only just been established, and the world’s trade with the Far East was controlled by Portugal. It shut in 1998 after more than four centuries of continuous operation, a victim of sinking prices.

Now, South Crofty is part of a wave of mining activity across England’s southwestern tip aiming to resuscitate an industry that until recently looked all-but dead. Tin, copper, tungsten and lithium, along with associated geothermal energy, are the focus of companies trying to capitalize on the surge in demand for the raw materials that are key to the shift to clean energy.

Pure-play nickel company Lifezone Metals rises on NYSE debut – by Staff (Mining.com – July 6, 2023)

July 6, 2023July 6, 2023

https://www.mining.com/

Battery metals development company Lifezone Metals (NYSE: LZM) debuted on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday following the business combination between special purpose acquisition company GoGreen Investments and Lifezone Holdings.

The transaction netted the company gross proceeds of $86.6 million, including approximately $70.2 million from a private investment in public equity and the receipt of approximately $16.4 million of cash from GoGreen’s trust account, net of redemptions.

Ekati finds a new home with Burgundy – by A.J. Roan (North of 60 Mining News – July 5, 2023)

July 6, 2023

https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/

Acquires diamond mine from Arctic Canadian for US$136M

Burgundy Diamond Mines Ltd. has finalized its acquisition of the Ekati diamond mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories, adding another precious stone mine to its portfolio.

Already a 40% partner with North Arrow Minerals Inc. at the Naujaat diamond project in Nunavut, Burgundy closed a transaction on July 4 that provides the Australian diamond company full ownership of the world-class Ekati Mine, which will significantly elevate Burgundy’s efforts to deliver high-end cut and polished diamonds mined in Canada’s Arctic to global markets.

Chinese owner of Manitoba mine wants to drain lake to extract more cesium from one of world’s few deposits – Bartley Kives (CBC News Manitoba – July 6, 2023)

July 6, 2023

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/

The Chinese owner of the Tanco mine in eastern Manitoba has revived talk of partly draining a lake in order to extract more cesium from one of the world’s few deposits of the critical mineral.

Sinomine Resource Group is musing about a long-term redevelopment of its mine it purchased in 2019 along the shore of Bernic Lake, a small Canadian Shield body of water located between Whiteshell and Nopiming provincial parks. The goal is to reach cesium that can not be mined right now because it’s embedded in vertical columns that hold up the roof of the underground mine.

Vancouver port strike hitting potash exports at crunch time for overseas farmers – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – July 6, 2023)

July 6, 2023

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The strike at four British Columbia ports is putting more pressure on an already-stressed international potash shipping network, with overseas farmers potentially caught in the crosshair. Nutrien Ltd, The Mosaic Company and K+S Potash Canada operate large potash mines in Saskatchewan, and all rely heavily on shipping the agricultural commodity overseas from the West Coast.

Canpotex Ltd., which handles potash shipments for Saskatoon-based Nutrien Ltd. and Tampa-based Mosaic, sends 70 per cent of its international shipments through the Port of Vancouver, one of four facilities affected by the strike.

Ontario starts pre-development work for new, large-scale nuclear plant – by Allison Jones (Toronto Star/Canadian Press – July 5, 2023)

July 6, 2023

https://www.thestar.com/

TORONTO – Ontario is looking to build the first new, large-scale nuclear plant in more than 30 years in order to meet the province’s growing electricity demands. Energy Minister Todd Smith announced Wednesday that the government is looking at a new plant to generate up to 4,800 megawatts — enough to power 4.8 million homes — on the site of Bruce Power’s current generating station on the shore of Lake Huron in Tiverton, Ont.

Bruce Power will now start community consultations and conduct an environmental assessment for federal approval to determine the feasibility of another nuclear plant.

Northern premiers say Canada can’t have Arctic security without infrastructure – by Chuck Chiang (CBC News North/Canadian Press – July 5, 2023)

July 6, 2023

https://www.cbc.ca/

Arctic security is under renewed focus as Russia and China eye the region, but leaders in the North say Canada won’t be able to exert sovereignty if their communities aren’t built up properly. The premiers from all three Northern territories say the federal government, while mindful of the need to strengthen Arctic security, has lacked a cohesive infrastructure plan to construct the foundation required to reach that goal.

Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane said in an interview that while policymakers have increased talks of building up the North, few concrete plans for key infrastructure such as hospitals, telecommunications, airports and road systems have emerged.